Category Archives: Recipes

As you all know, I’ve been experimenting with chia seeds lately. They’re low PP and high nutritional value and surprisingly versatile. I’ve been racking my brain for low-PP recipes, and came up with a winner.

Because I’m on WW, I generally avoid processed carbs and useless sugars — which means that peanut butter and jelly, delicious though it is, is a no-go for me these days. It would be one thing if the sandwich had ANY nutritional value, but it doesn’t. (Oh, spare me the peanut butter argument. We both know that’s like saying “Well, chocolate cake has eggs in it! And milk!” A high-fat butter between slices of bread does not a healthy lunch make.) it would be one thing, too, if PB&J made me full. But it doesn’t. It would be one final thing, then, if PB&J were low-PP. And it is not. Three strikes and you’re out, delicious childhood confection!

That is, until now.

I tried this two times, and the second time through got the recipe right I think. It won’t taste exactly like a sandwich — no bread and a softer texture for the PB — but it’s pretty close and kicks a craving, tastes decadent and is actually good for you. Everyone wins!

At first, that was tough for me. I love bread. I could care less about rice or pasta, but I do love bread. These days, I eat NO rice, NO pasta and my bread is very limited. And, really, it doesn’t bother me. I’m strong; I’m healthy; the food pyramid that says you should eat a ton of grains is full of crap. Plenty of people eat no grains and get their protein elsewhere and are healthy, happy people. So, haters, take note. You don’t need to patronize me with tales of how I MUST eat rice, etc.

I’ve noticed that most WW-folks who still want rice and grains used in their diets multiple times a week aren’t including those things for nutrition’s sake anyway — but rather because they don’t want to give them up. Makes sense. But I had a realization and the realization led to a firm stance:

If what I’m putting into my mouth isn’t 0PP, it has to “do” something for me. It has to have some nutrients or antioxidants or fiber or protein. It can’t just be useless.

As far as I’m concerned, most processed carbs are useless. I like quinoa and bulgur, but am pretty much phased out of everything else. And everything else, friends, includes spaghetti.

UNTIL NOW.

My sister-in-law, Jill, mentioned to me that we should explore spaghetti squash. Recently, we decided to try. And boy, were the results delicious!

I can’t really post the recipe, since Chelsea made it — not me — and so she’ll need to guest-post to tell you her process. I know it contains tomatoes, spaghetti squash, mushrooms, spinach, vegetarian “chicken” strips, and seasonings. I know a whole massive bowl makes me so full I could die, and is only 5PP. I know I have had it for dinner twice this week and loved it.

If you’re unfamiliar with spaghetti squash, here’s a brief description: It’s a squash that you cut in half, scoop out the guts, bake, and then peel out the flesh. It comes out looking like little spaghetti noodles. It’s as simple as that.

The texture, of course, is only sort of similar to spaghetti. It doesn’t taste like a bowl of carbs. But if you’re already not eating much by way of noodles, it doesn’t really matter — gave the same effect to me, for example. And because it can be served heated, you can make any pasta-esque dishes using it and not have to sacrifice flavors or heat. Not everything can be served over a bed of greens, ya heard? As much as we love salads at my house these days, we were interested in finding a low/zero PP way to make hot mixed dishes like the one Chelsea’s been making this week. Now, we have a way!

The squash are deceptively filling and go a long way, portion size. We initially bought two small squash. That ended up being enough for FOUR dinners. So, word to the wise: Don’t over-buy. The squash is a totally reasonable price though and keeps fine in a fridge one prepped. What’s not to love?

Mostly, I’m excited because I’m a gal who loves a hot dish. I’ve learned to like salads, etc. as meals, but my favorite thing to dive into after a long day is a steamy bowl of, well, anything.

The texture and flavor of spaghetti squash means I can make warm meals with savory elements that are low or zero PP – healthy comfort food ahoy!

All in all, finding new ways to enjoy foods that grow right from the earth is always exciting to me, especially when they open doors to new aspects of cooking (or, should I say, offer a return to the preparation of certain types of dishes). Eating “clean” is a great way to make sure that you get nutrients and all that good stuff from the earth instead of a factory — I truly feel better since I cut out processed stuff and looked for more earth-based foods.

If you’ve not yet tried spaghetti squash, I totally recommend. It seemed intimidating at first to bake and prep the squash, but Chelsea swears it was a breeze. SO THERE ARE NO EXCUSES.

I command you, dearest readers, to go find spaghetti squash at your local grocer RIGHT NOW, so that you too can experience its glory.

Way, way back in the day when Chelsea and I first started eating flax seed, we had heard somehow/somewhere that chia seeds were comparable. I think we ran across flax seeds first at the store, and bought them, and remained deeply in love with them as time went by. Like healthy little graham cracker crumbles, they are.

But this weekend, my Aunt Maryjane was telling me about her love of chia seeds. She said they are a great energy boost, that they can congeal, that they are fibrous, that they are tasty. She told me that runners often love them as an energy boost — and ya’ll KNOW I’m ’bout that life. I investigated further and found that TWO TABLESPOONS is only 1PP!

And so, we shall soon be trying chia seeds. I’ll let you know what we do with them first! Probably we’ll pick some up some time this week; depends on when we get to Wegman’s. Although I guess I could make a trip to Down to Earth on my way home today… Hmm!

The more I read about chia, the more intrigued I am. Can’t wait to give it a whirl!

Alright, yeah, I kind of faked you out. I have no interest in formatting this as though it were a story.

But I guess I’ll begin with an anecdote.

When I was a kid, I loved (and STILL love) Saul Bellow’s book, Henderson The Rain King. If you’re a Counting Crows fan, take note: they wrote that song about that book! In the book, the protagonist — Henderson — feels frustrated at all the things he has not yet become or accomplished in his life. “Time to burst the spirit’s sleep!” he shouts. “I am tired of becoming! I want to BE!” He then rants awhile about how the world is made up of two types of people — be-ers and become-ers. He wants to be the former, but fears he’s wasted too much time “becoming.”

I hear that, Henderson.

There’s something to be said for creating yourself. Also, for just being whoever you are. Also, for the process that creation requires.

Recently, I remarked to Chelsea than in another twenty lbs or so (down 17 since January, looking to be down a total of 30 more) I’ll “look the part” of a runner more. Right now, my saying I go on 5 mile runs and the body that does those runs doesn’t really match — to me. I know it’s not a really factual experience of the world. But I feel like I am “becoming,” instead of just being.

It occurred to me this morning that by running at all, I am BE-ing a runner. Already, I have fashioned myself into a runner. I might not be as thin or as fast as I want, but if running five days a week doesn’t make you a runner, what does?

And so, there’s a little corner of my life where I AM.

Of course, it was a process to get here, wasn’t it? There were 9 full weeks of Couch to 5K. Lots of time agonizing over the scale. New workout clothes. Better-fitting-old-workout-clothes.

The bottom line, though — the “who I AM” part of it all — wasn’t an evolution, really, when it comes down to it.

The day I committed to running 5 days a week with no excuses, I stopped “becoming” and started to “be” someone who runs.

OKAY OKAY. This is starting to get very “meta” ( #someta, as one of my best friends, Susanna, might say).

I don’t mean for it to be. I do have a point!

Weight loss is certainly a process. It’s a process that can sometimes feel like an ENDLESS cycle of becoming, becoming, becoming — never small enough, ten more lbs, messed up today, setting deadlines, new clothes, old clothes, people’s reactions — a never-ending evolutionary process where we are always in flux.

That “becoming” sometimes becomes a pair of blinders on our eyes. We remain so focused on what we might be soon that we forget what we are right now.

The minute you make one right choice, you are healthier. The minute you track your meals without exception AND WITHOUT MERCY ON YOURSELF, you are healthier. The minute you decide you are not going to throw it all away at this holiday or that, you are healthier.

Try this: Instead of saying “I am trying to become healthier,” say to yourself, “I am someone who does makes healthy choices.” And then when you make those good choices, instead of telling yourself those good choices are novel, just see them as a part of who you are.

You are evolving, sure. You’re learning new things about yourself and your body, probably. I mean, I certainly am. But there’s something in you that has already decided to BE — it’s your spirit’s sleep bursting. Your Henderson moment.

Pretend, if you will, that you are a book. Pretend this week is a chapter. Pretend it’s being taken and put in an anthology or is the only preview available on Google Books. Envisioning it? Ok. What would someone know or see about you, if this week was all they’d be working with? Would they see you twenty pounds ago, or twenty pounds from now? Nope, they’d see you this week. Would they see the yo-yo-ing that came before, with your weight bouncing around for years? Nope, they’d see you this week. Would they see you feel embarrassed about eating a cookie? Nope, they’d see you this week eating an apple.

We are a summation of our histories, our stories, our memories — they’ve shaped us; they’ve made us. I know. Obviously, right? But we are also RIGHT NOW. Who you are, RIGHT NOW, is who you are.Not who you were or will become.

And so from now on when I get discouraged about the 35 extra lbs that I WANT GONE, I will tell myself: “Self, I know where you want to go. But look at yourself right now and enjoy the ride. You weigh 166.3 lbs, not 190 anymore. You’re a runner. You make good choices. You’re not adrift in the ocean; you’re steering the ship. You’re someone who steers the ship.”

Steps:— Preheat the oven to 375.— Grab a skillet. Brown the meat and add whatever seasonings you’re using. When the meat is done, put it in a separate bowl.— Using the same skillet (Chelsea left the meat juices in, too, to avoid using other liquids or oils or butter), saute the mushrooms until they’re tender. We also seasoned these with thyme. When they’re done, put them in their own bowl too.— In the same skillet again, wilt the cups of spinach. Place in a bowl, or leave in the pan.— Drain any water in the spinach and mushroom bowls/pans. — In yet another bowl, mix the egg, the cottage cheese, and the garlic salt (and any other seasonings — we added chives). — Grab a 2 qt casserole dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom (we did 1.5 cups on the bottom). — Add a layer of turkey, then spinach, then mushrooms, then a layer of cottage cheese. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and repeat the layering process a few times until you’ve got 2 or 3 layers and your ingredients are gone. — Top final layer with whatever’s left of your shredded cheese.— COVER THE CASSEROLE IN TIN FOIL, and bake for 35 minutes. — Take it out after 25, remove the foil, and cook it for 10-15 more minutes until the cheese browns a little and everything is bubbly.

YOU WILL NOT REGRET THIS DISH.

If you’re aiming for 2 cups of lasagna a person, it makes 4 servings. Each serving: 7 PP.

This one is definitely worth going out on a limb to try! And further, for those of you on WW or who are conscious of your calories/diet, the “substitute” ingredients we purchased were CLUTCH to making these healthy and low-point. One of the biggest diet traps is making stuff like this and thinking “OH IT’S JUST ZUCCHINI NOM NOM NOM I CAN EAT IT ALL NOM NOM NOM MOSTLY WATER ANYWAY NOM NOM NOM GUILT FREE NOM NOM NOM” because things like flour and bread crumbs are NOT free, not even A LITTLE. And so we’ve included the directions to the original recipe, and some notes about what we followed or tweaked.

Now, as a former fried-food-fan (these days, I genuinely don’t think I’d enjoy most actually fried foods if I were to eat them), I really miss things that have that salty, crispy casing on them. As I progress on my WW-journey, I’ve learned to become cool with things that have a semblance of that casing and are BAKED instead of fried. And so when I saw this recipe for zucchini fries, I thought, “Well, heck, it’s the weekend and I’ve got over 40 activity points saved up and all my weekly flex points, so let’s toss this recipe into the recipe builder on my iPad app and see what we’ve got.” Turns out, for 45 fries (our batch made 50), the way WE did it was only 4 PP a person if you split the spoils IN HALF. You heard me: 20-some of these zucchini fries (they are not small) for 4 PP.

Obviously, we had to try it.

So there I was, looking at the ingredient list for this recipe. It called for flour and bread crumbs. The author of the recipe (original format here) used something called “chickpea flour/besan,” which I had never heard of before. I did some point-sleuthing and, wouldn’t you know it, this miracle powder is LESS POINTS than regular flour! So we needed it. Hmph.

Chelsea, I declared, We’re going to the hippie store.

I affectionately call our local organic/whole foods grocery shop “the hippie store,” and I spend a lot of my time there these days. I’m really looking the part lately, too. Vegan Baggalinni? Check. Prius? Check. Lesbianism? Check. I fit right in. :-p

I’ve noticed that while not EVERYTHING at Down To Earth is at a reasonable or competitive price (their peanut butters cost nearly twice as much as the same brands do at Wegman’s!), their bulk foods and baking stuff cannot be beat. Plus, if ANYWHERE was gonna be selling chickpea flour, it was Down To Earth. So off we went. And we found it. And it was $2.00 for a pound of it. Success.

Now, bread crumbs… I looked into panko (which we have in the pantry) and wasn’t elated by how many points the recipe would become through its use. A cup of panko is no small amount of points, ya dig? Italian bread crumbs are even worse. So I endeavored to make my OWN bread crumbs, by buying a loaf of WW’s whole wheat bread, double toasting it, and then chopping it in the food processor. Success.

The recipe itself is so simple you’ll smack yourself for not having come up with it, and the results are so delicious that you’ll immediately wish you could un-smack yourself since now, you’ll be grateful SOMEONE came up with it.

Here goes:

Ingredients:— 2 or 3 small zucchini, cut into fry shapes. (I used 2 zucchini — small ones — and first cut them in half, then into quarters, then into fry shapes from there. Oh, and I cut off the ends before doing the above.)

— 1/4 cup chickpea flour (We ended up needing a little bit more than this. Probably about 1/2 a cup — but it didn’t all get used. When we were getting down to the bottom of the original 1/4, though, the fries were hard to coat because of the shape of the bowl. So more flour made for easier coating, even though we didn’t use it all. If that makes sense)

— 1/4 tsp garlic powder (HAHAHA I scoff at anyone who says I should use less than a tablespoon of garlic powder at any time for any reason. You KNOW Chelsea and I upped the ante on that ‘ish.)

— 1/2 cup milk of choice (we used flax milk, and we needed more than 1/2 a cup)

— 1 cup breadcrumbs (again, we needed more than this — but that’s in part because our crumbs were getting soggy from all the dippage. You’ll see. Maybe other types of crumbs are more resilient.)

Steps:— Preheat the oven to 420.— Spray a bake-able cooling rack with cooking spray and put it on a pan. (Pics in the original recipe’s post will be helpful here). — Make an assembly line: in one bowl, your flour, garlic powder, and any other seasonings. In a second bowl, your milk. In a final bowl, your breadcrumbs. — Dip each little zucchini piece first in the flour, then the milk, then the breadcrumbs. Add to the cooling rack. — Bake for about 20 minutes (in our experience).

Enjoy!

The above recipe, using flax milk and WW crumbs and chickpea flour, made an 8-PP overall recipe that became 4 PP a person. And we couldn’t even eat them all in one sitting. And so, a point-friendly delicious snack.

You know Chelsea and I love cabbage. It’s cheap, it’s mineral-packed, it’s healthy, and it can be prepared about two million ways. Cabbage for Mayor! For President! FOREVER. Our finest recipe is the cabbage soup dish we shared with you all a few months back. I’m Polish and was raised on halupki and halushki — we like cabbage, ok? We just do.

So when I saw this recipe (originally from Beyond Diet), I knew we had to try. The ingredients seemed fairly similar to our cabbage soup, but the cheese and Worcestershire sauce intrigued me.

On Saturday, we made this for dinner. And it was pretty good… not amazing, but pretty good. The carrots had a really strong taste, surprisingly, and the cheese did not. Also, the recipe looks NOTHING like the picture the website presents. I mean, vaguely I guess. But don’t expect that level oh “oooh!” if you make this yourself.

All in all, in the future I’d just as soon make cabbage soup instead. Fewer ingredients, less prep time, easier to store, and more flavor per bite.

However, for any cabbage fans, this is certainly worthy to keep in your arsenal. Ya never know when a low-cal casserole will be needed!

Steps:
— Preheat oven to 350.
— Grab a medium skillet. Saute the chopped onions in butter (or cooking spray, if you’re being thrifty with your points) until they’re soft, but not browned.
— Add the ground beef, and saute with the onions until the meat IS browned — or at least isn’t so pink.
— Grab a 2-quart casserole dish. Layer the shredded carrots and half the cabbage.
— Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you’re interested in. We used a little beef bouillon.
— Add the meat to the casserole dish and pank it down a little.
— Toss on the remaining cabbage.
— Grab a medium mixing bowl. In it, mix spaghetti sauce, Worcestershire, and chives. We used extra chives and Worcestershire.
— Pour the mixture over the casserole dish.
— Cover the casserole dish with tinfoil, and put it in the oven for about an hour or until cabbage is soft. We recommend maybe an hour and ten or fifteen minutes, because we did just an hour, and our carrots (at the bottom) were still a little crunchy. If you like that texture then an hour should be fine! But if you want utter softness, go longer.
— When the cabbage is soft/hour has passed, take the casserole out of the oven.
— Sprinkle with cheese, and return to the oven UNCOVERED for about five more minutes, until the cheese is gooey and starting to brown up.
— Serve, and enjoy!

PP for 2 cups’ worth: 8

* We doubled this recipe and used a 3-qt. dish. It’s intended to serve 6, which we took to mean about 6 cups of meal would be made. This seems accurate, as when we doubled it, it looks to be twelve cups worth of food. We cook once or twice a week, and eat leftovers — so bigger batches suit us better. I will say that two cups is a fair serving for an adult if this is the main course of dinner; one cup, I think, would leave a diner hungry. Lots of veggies, and not really a lot of meat. Not that meat is the end-all-be-all of a dish (we’re practically vegetarians except when a recipe really requires something else; no attachment to animal proteins here), but I just don’t think one cup would be filling. As such, prepare accordingly. Double the ingredients and dishware, but keep the cooking time pretty similar. Just a tip!

Discovered this recipe last night on Facebook, and when I realized we had all the ingredients — well, I decided to make it as my evening snack.

Now, the original recipe differs from what I used — the ingredients below are what I used in my rendering. I think it nets a little more sweetness and it’s low-points. My secret? Sugar-free maple syrup. Believe it or not, I find the sugar-free brand we use to be freakin delicious — I actually prefer it to regular syrup at this point (excluding, of course, super high-quality maple). Anyway, enough exposition. Here it is!

At SAMs Club, near the spices and baking supplies, they sell a fairly big bottle of ranch powder.

The nutrition facts on the side are for 1/8 a teaspoon which is useless since half the values are set to zero, but I’ve done a little figuring and I think it would take over two tablespoons of the powder to make one PP. Which is really not bad, considering that for 8 oz of dip, you only need 1.5 tablespoons.

The directions suggest milk and mayonnaise.

I KNOW you guys aren’t dumb enough to think I would use mayonnaise in anything except maybe poison.

I tell you: it did not taste like diet ranch dip or low calorie ranch dip. It tasted like delicious, creamy, mmmmm ranch dip. Not as thick as a full fat store brand but not at all thin. Store brand can be clumpy. This wasn’t. Think, Greek yogurt consistency. Because #obviously.

For 4 PP total this dip was a hit at my house — we ate some with snap peas and celery stalks while watching Pretty Little Liars. We’ve eaten some of it two more times and are still on the original batch — so the above recipe makes a fair amount.

All in all, a really richly-flavored and fun to snack on dip for movie night or get togethers. I’m keeping it in mind for if we ever go to a party and need to bring a dip or veggie tray!